Man sentenced to 20 years in domestic violence case; new Colorado law means 85% of sentence must be served

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — A Bennett man will spend the next two decades in prison after a violent attack on his wife, case prosecutors said nearly turned deadly.

The sentencing also highlights the impact of a relatively new Colorado law requiring many violent offenders to serve most of their prison sentences before becoming eligible for parole.

Joseph Rivera, 43, was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of first-degree assault by strangulation.

According to prosecutors with the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the attack happened in July 2025 at the couple’s home in Bennett during a domestic dispute.

Investigators said the victim called 911 during the incident. Dispatchers reported hearing the phone drop, followed by the sounds of a struggle.

When deputies arrived, they found the woman outside the home with blood on her face, swollen eyes and visible bruising on her neck. The couple’s two children were inside the home at the time of the attack.

District Attorney George Brauchler said the case demonstrates how Colorado’s updated sentencing laws will affect how long violent offenders remain behind bars.

“In this case, what that means is instead of this guy being parole eligible at a decade, he will not see the parole board until he has served at least 17 years,” Brauchler said.

Under the law, Rivera must serve at least 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Court records show Rivera has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple assault cases and previous domestic violence incidents. In 2016, he was convicted of assaulting a peace officer and served time in prison.

“This guy has a developed criminal history; this is not his first, second or even third felony conviction,” Brauchler said.

However, some legal experts said mandatory sentencing requirements can also have broader consequences for the criminal justice system.

Christopher Decker, a FOX31 legal analyst, said laws requiring offenders to serve longer portions of their sentences can increase incarceration costs and reduce flexibility within the system.

“Creating mandatory sentences or minimum sentences that must be served prior to parole is simply going to bump up the cost of the criminal justice system housing these individuals,” Decker said.

He added that longer mandatory sentences can place additional strain on prison populations and limit the discretion of parole boards and corrections professionals.

“It’s easy to say to get tough on crime… but what these mandatory sentences do is it gets tough on budgets, it gets tough on population, and it gets tough on those individuals who we have elected and appointed and hired to exercise discretion in important cases,” Decker said.

Under the current law, Rivera will need to serve at least about 17 years of his 20-year sentence before he can be considered for parole.